The Insurance Services Office surprised the city this week by issuing a Class-2 rating to the Brentwood Fire and Rescue Department in its Public Protection Classification Program. The ISO reviews fire departments across the country and issues data for property-insurance companies to use for setting premium rates. The Class-2 designation puts Brentwood in the top-3 percent of the country. Only Class 1 is higher, and the city had been ranked at Class 4 for more than 20 years.

City Manager Kirk Bednar said the city had tried for some time just to achieve a Class 3 rating, only to receive the extra boost.

“Moving to a Class-2 rating is something for all involved to be tremendously proud of achieving,” Bednar said. This is a true testament to (Fire) Chief (Brian) Goss’s commitment to strategic planning and staff development as well as the willingness of multiple departments to work together for a common goal.”

Goss said the classification “validates the efforts of our personnel.”